


the devil wears mesh

by hoeunki



Series: plum blossom and the orchid [9]
Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Flirting, Halloween Costumes, Humor, M/M, Minor Swearing, No Smut, Romance, a little spicy?? not rly, happy spooky day!, mesh (lmao)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 06:44:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21239885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeunki/pseuds/hoeunki
Summary: in which renjun finds out that gold heels and white crop tops don't look half bad on him, and a sexy stranger wearing a coincidentally ironic outfit saves him from a harmless clown.





	the devil wears mesh

**Author's Note:**

> big shoutout to lex, my fellow Mesh Enthusiast. here's to lucas and his fantastic arms.
> 
> (ignore any errors i never beta read anything)

No matter how many times Donghyuck has challenged Renjun to stupid bets, Renjun has never failed to succumb to his indomitable pride (which was even stupider, hindsight would tell him). “Just let Donghyuck be,” would be Jeno’s advice. But sweet, sweet Jeno didn’t know what it felt like to have Lee Donghyuck, psych major with a minor in theatre, idiot extraordinaire, bombard him with texts every five minutes, taunting him in person and pushing his limits until he snapped.

So no, Jeno. Renjun couldn’t just ‘let Donghyuck be’. The stubborn Aries in him refused to let Donghyuck have the upper hand. 

Sometimes, Renjun wished he would just be more of a pacifist. He wished that he could just let things slide, to take things in stride like how Mark Lee did when Donghyuck bothered him (why were they even dating?), and move on with his life. It would really, _ really _ save him a lot of pain and humiliation. And as Donghyuck sauntered up to Renjun’s lunch table on a chilly October afternoon with a red-faced Jeno in tow, Renjun found himself thinking this once more.

Donghyuck stepped on the seat and climbed up, hoisting Jeno along with him. “Let it be known,” he declared loudly to nobody in particular, “That on this day, October 26th, Lee Jeno assisted me, Lee Donghyuck in winning the most devastating bet against Huang Renjun.”

Renjun looked up at them and sucked his straw into his mouth. “What the hell are you on today, Hyuck.” They hadn’t bet anything in weeks. Donghyuck smirked, sliding in to the seat opposite Renjun. 

“Don’t tell me you forgot?” he asked, tone annoyingly smug. Renjun shrugged; he had a bunch of group projects and assignments to catch up on and he was starting to get a little irritable. Donghyuck sighed and nudged Jeno, whose face was still flushed pink.

“Go on,” Donghyuck urged, excited. “Tell him what you did.”

Jeno bit his lip, looking up at Renjun shyly. He inhaled deeply and Renjun took another sip of his soy milk.

“I asked Jaemin out.”

Screams of terror followed as Renjun spat his milk out, spraying Jeno and Donghyuck with spit. Donghyuck shrieked, making a fuss as Jeno hurriedly looked for tissues, and Renjun wiped his mouth, still in shock from what he’d just heard.

“What the fuck,” Renjun hissed as they calmed down, pulling Jeno closer by the collar. “When. How could you do this to me.” Donghyuck and Renjun had started this bet at the beginning of the semester as they watched Jeno helplessly struggle for words to say after pretty boy Na Jaemin complimented his basketball skills.

(“I bet you anything that Jeno gets the balls to ask Jaemin out by the end of the semester.” “You drive a hard bargain, Lee. You’re on.”) 

“You’re supposed to be happy for me!” Jeno flapped his arms uselessly. “And why would you bet _ against _ me? What happened to best friend solidarity?”

Renjun groaned, releasing his hold on Jeno. _ ‘Thump!_’ went his forehead as he slammed it down on the table. Donghyuck tapped his disgustingly long fingernails against the side of his chair, unabashed glee practically emanating off him in waves. 

“What do you want?” Renjun didn’t even want to look at Donghyuck. Usually they had specific terms that they bet on, but this one didn’t have anything. Donghyuck could pull his most evil scheme on him, completely crush his reputation, embarrass him for a lifetime.

Donghyuck giggled. “No need to be so glum, Jun! I just want you to go to a Halloween party with me.”

Renjun lifted his face off the table. “That’s it?” It was suspicious. Too suspicious. Donghyuck would never make him do anything without a catch—

“In a costume that I pick out for you.”

—and there it was. 

He narrowed his eyes, scrutinising Donghyuck as he smiled back with a faux innocence. There wasn’t really any way out of this, and that was the most depressing part. Jeno mouthed a genuine _ “I’m sorry," _at Renjun, who sighed once more. 

“Just let me be able to face the public once this is over.”

The corners of Donghyuck’s mouth curled up in a smile so wicked, Renjun nearly shuddered.

“Of course.”

“I look like a dumbass.” Renjun turned to his left, trying to pull the white silk shorts further down. It didn’t, of course, because Donghyuck had managed to find the smallest size possible without it being too publicly indecent.

On the other side of the door, Donghyuck cackled. “I’m sure you look _ heavenly_, my dear.”

Renjun swore under his breath, adjusting the halo around his head and the tiny, fluffy wings on his back. At first he’d been totally opposed to the crop top with mesh sleeves (courtesy of Ten, their mutual friend who ran a fashion business), but the more Renjun stared at it, the more he got used to it. He looked like an idiot, sure, but he didn’t look inherently… bad.

After collecting his sanity, he turned the doorknob and pushed it open. Gasps were heard, camera shutters clicked, and Renjun rolled his eyes as Donghyuck (dressed as a medieval witch) began clapping for him. Jaemin and Jeno sat on the couch, staring in shock at Renjun in their complimentary Prince Gumball and Marshall Lee outfits. 

“Whoa,” Jeno spoke after some time. “You look… good.” 

“Good?” Jaemin chimed in, eyes wide. “He looks _stunning_.” He and Jeno had already gone on one date and needless to say, were now attached at the hip.

“Here’s the finishing touch,” Donghyuck beamed, dangling a pair of strappy gold heels from his fingers. Renjun snatched the shoes from him and slipped into them, knowing that any further complaints would just garner more teasing on Donghyuck’s end.

Renjun stood up, hands on his hips as he stood in front of the three. “Can we just get this over with?” The faster he got to this party, the faster they could leave. 

“Alright, alright,” Donghyuck said, reaching for his witch hat. “No need to get your panties in a twist.”

Jeno’s jaw dropped. “You’re wearing panties?”

(“It’s an expression, darling.” 

“Oh. Right.” 

“Unless..?” 

“I will stuff these feathers down your throat if you don’t shut up.”)

Zhong Chenle’s house–no, _ mansion_, was a place of mystery. He didn’t often hold parties but when he did, they were as grand as one could imagine. Think: Great Gatsby-esque, lavish, noisy, all the food and drinks. Chenle himself was a bubbly, pleasant boy, just a tad cheeky and an adorable smile. Renjun had met him a total of two times, both at the bubble tea shop next to the library. Didn’t know anything else about him aside from the fact that he was an avid gamer with stellar grades. 

As Renjun stepped into the foyer, he felt shy. It was already very crowded, but he could feel eyes on him as trailed behind Donghyuck. Jeno and Jaemin had already abandoned him (probably to cuddle on some sofa somewhere), and Renjun had no idea who else would be at this party. 

Donghyuck turned to him as they stood in the doorway of the kitchen. “Last rule of the bet: text me when you leave. Also, you have to stay for at least two hours.”

“That’s two rules.” 

“My win, my terms.”

“I hate you.”

“Angels shouldn’t lie!” Donghyuck chirped, patting Renjun’s shoulder. “Enjoy the party, my friend.”

He sauntered into the kitchen, pointed hat vanishing into the horde of costumed people, leaving Renjun alone. Renjun groaned and stalked off to the living room. Or one of them, at least. He was pretty sure Chenle had multiple ones. 

Renjun moved through the mansion, squeezing around couples making out in the hallways and bodies grinding against each other to ear-splitting EDM and trashy pop music (he was pretty sure someone had groped his ass at least twice in the dining area). He said hi to a few familiar faces but otherwise tried his best to keep a low profile, not wanting anyone important (read: his cousin Kun who was dating Chenle’s half brother Sicheng) to discover him wearing this horrendous outfit. This was prime blackmail material. And Donghyuck already had a folder full of it on his phone.

After a few rounds of beer pong with Mark Lee and some senior cross-dressing as Rose from _ Titanic_, Renjun headed to the toilet. It had only been an hour, but Renjun felt like he'd been here forever. His plan now was to camp out in a bathtub and wait for the rest of the hour to pass by before fleeing home (he had to respect the rules of the bet, after all. He wasn’t a coward).

He discovered a bathroom door upstairs by the gaming room. Quickly, he grabbed hold of the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door forward. Renjun shrieked in terror as he came face to face with a clown, one with freakish eye makeup and bloody teeth. 

“Oops, my bad.” The clown closed the tap of running water. “I thought the door was locked... wait, _ Renjun? _”

Renjun’s heart dropped as he instantly identified the familiar voice. To his horror, the guy pulled the clown mask off to reveal a messy head of strawberry blonde hair and Renjun wanted nothing more than to flush himself down the toilet as Liu Yangyang stared back at him.

(They'd dated in the last year of high school. In short, he wasn't quite what Renjun was looking for.)

Yangyang's eyes flitted over Renjun's outfit and Renjun had half a mind to rip the cape off that random vampire standing a few feet away and dramatically magic himself away. Yangyang was the last person he wanted to see him like this. 

"Nice outfit," Yangyang said, cheeks pink as his eyes lingered on Renjun's exposed stomach for an extra few seconds. Renjun shifted uncomfortably.

“...Thanks.”

Unable to handle the awkward encounter, Renjun spun on his heels (literally) and started to speedwalk as fast as he could. Call him rude, but he wasn’t really in the mood to talk to Yangyang. His voice could sometimes reach annoyingly high decibels.

“Wait!” called Yangyang, and Renjun swore softly. He composed himself before facing his ex-boyfriend. 

“Yes?”

Yangyang fiddled with the striped sleeve of his costume. “It’s been so long, I figured maybe we could catch up?” he stepped closer, touched Renjun’s hand, and Renjun nearly flinched away. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Maybe another time, Yang?" The room they were currently in was way too crowded, bodies all around Renjun forcing him closer to Yangyang. The clown costume was really starting to freak him out. “I gotta… find my boyfriend.”

Yangyang blinked, retracting his hand. “You’re here with your boyfriend?”

Renjun bit his lip. He felt bad about lying to Yangyang, but he figured it was just a little white lie. Easy to fabricate, easy to dispose of later if Yangyang pressed him about it. 

“Yeah,” Renjun answered. 

He must’ve looked unsure or waited a second too long to answer, because Yangyang narrowed his eyes slightly, suspicious. “Are you sure?”

Now it was Renjun’s turn to frown. “What kind of question is that?” He felt a little offended. Was it that unbelievable that he came to a Halloween party with his boyfriend, dressed as a slutty angel?

(Well it _ did _sound ridiculous, even to Renjun's own ears, but Yangyang didn’t need to know that.)

“What’s his name?”

Renjun’s mind blanked. His brain instantly defaulted to Donghyuck, the dumbass who brought him to this damned party, but then he remembered that Yangyang had a minor in theatre and they probably knew each other. Jeno? But maybe they met at the dance festival last semester. Jaemin? Mark?

“His name—”

Suddenly, there was a strong arm curling around his waist, thick and warm and unfamiliar. Renjun gasped in surprise as someone pulled him close and he bumped into a wall of solid muscle.

“Hey babe.” Renjun blushed, ears red at the low, rumbling voice. 

He felt his blush deepen as he looked up into the dark eyes of the most attractive man he had ever encountered in his entire life. Tall, with slicked back hair and a pair of horns plastered to his temples. He was wearing tight, red leather pants and a top made of black mesh that hugged the curves of his biceps. Renjun's mouth went dry as he realised whose abs he was staring at.

The Devil himself.

Said devil tilted his chin up. "Looking for me?" He had a little bit of an accent and _ wow _, was it sexy. 

Renjun swallowed. This guy was helping him. This sultry, mysterious, great-smelling guy that was giving him a look that said _ don’t worry, I got you. _ How often did things like this happen? 

"Been searching the whole night," Renjun finally answered, as flirtatious as possible, placing his hands on the stranger's well-defined pecs and giving them a little squeeze. The devil’s eyebrows shot up in surprise but he covered it up with a sly grin. Renjun resisted the urge to giggle.

Yangyang gaped. "Um…?"

The devil turned to look at him with an apologetic smile. "Sorry buddy, but this angel is mine." 

_ Mine. _ Something in Renjun's stomach fluttered at the word. Yangyang nodded, speechless, and backed off quietly. 

"He wasn't harassing you, was he?" The stranger asked quietly, adjusting Renjun's halo once Yangyang had left. 

Renjun shook his head. "Just a harmless ex."

"So you're single?" Two warm hands sought purchase on his hips and Renjun marvelled at how long his fingers were. 

“Very much so,” Renjun replied, wrapping his arms around the devil's neck and stepping even closer. 

They stayed like that for a few moments, randomly getting into the groove, swaying to the song floating up from the poolside. The tall man refused to break Renjun's gaze (not that he wanted him to—his golden contacts were gorgeous), never took his hands off Renjun's body for a second. 

"I nearly lost it when you grabbed my chest." 

"Sorry about that. They were just… there." 

"It's alright. I was kind of into it." He smirked again, that damned smile, pushing his chest out a little, as if inviting Renjun to touch it again. 

"You are so hot," Renjun murmured, feeling up the man's torso. He couldn't help it. This guy was mesmerising. 

"I could say the same," said the stranger, leaning down with a smile. "Your legs are really doing those shorts a favor." 

Renjun made a mental note to thank Donghyuck, that absolute bastard. But that was low on his priority list as plush lips met his and Renjun sighed, opening his mouth to let a warm tongue in. 

Now Renjun didn't always go around kissing hot guys at every party that he went to, but this was an exception. Renjun felt drunk, and it wasn't because of the two cups of alcohol he had downed half an hour ago. He was intoxicated by the way this guy kissed, messy and wet, hands roaming up and down his exposed stomach, leaving trails of fire burning in their wake. 

"I'm Lucas," said the tall man, licking once over Renjun's spit-slick lips as they parted. 

"Renjun," he replied, breathless. He didn't think he had a thing for mesh, but he was starting to really appreciate the material now. Lucas grinned, reaching to intertwine their fingers together. 

"I was never a big believer in fate, but an angel and a devil. Pretty funny, right?"

Renjun snorted. "I lost a bet. That's why I'm wearing this."

"Well I'm glad you lost. You look _ divine_," Lucas said with a wink. 

Renjun arched his eyebrow at Lucas' word choice, amused and a little endeared by his efforts to flirt. He slowly traced Lucas' jawline with his index finger, running it down his chin and over his Adam's apple, feeling Lucas swallow as he hooked his nail on the collar of the mesh shirt. 

"And you," Renjun purred, tugging Lucas forwards so that their lips were just barely grazing each other's, "Look absolutely _ sinful_."

"Holy shit," Lucas whispered, dazed, as Renjun slotted their mouths together once more.

_ from: ronjune :) _

_ dont come back to the dorm thx _

_ from: jeno _

_ ???? _

_ from: ronjune :) _

_ stay over at jaemins if u dont wanna b scarred for life _

"I think I'm being sexiled." Jeno blinked at his phone, trying to comprehend Renjun's text. Jaemin, drunk and sleepy, gave a noncommittal hum from where he was draped over Jeno's lap.

Donghyuck cackled loudly. "Renjun better treat me to lunch after this. Boy's been in need of a good dicking down for months!"

Mark choked on his drink and Donghyuck snatched it from him, never one to waste an opportunity. He raised it to the air, gesturing for Jeno and a few others to join him. What a wonderful night it was tonight. 

"Happy Halloween, whores!"

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY HALLOWEEN LUREN NATION I LOVE YOU ALL <3
> 
> (headcanon: lucas always calls renjun 'angel' afterwards, which renjun initially hates but eventually softens up to)
> 
> scream at me, cry, laugh, tell me what you thought :D
> 
> always yelling about luren on [twitter](https://twitter.com/takadactyl)  



End file.
